kicad-developers team mailing list archive

[jean-pierre charras - INPG <jean-pierre.charras@...>]

Damien Profeta a écrit :
> [Attachment(s) <#TopText> from Damien Profeta included below]
>
> Hi all,
>
> I've made a patch to enable to launch eeschema --plot file1 file2...
> and so not to use the interface to draw schematics.
> After having read the mailing list more deeply, I found that it may
> not be the safest way to introduce myself to you.
> I know that the patch is not "finished", it still makes an invisible
> frame and launch the same event that when you click.
> But I prefer to submit this patch that is already a bit big and later
> to submit another one to refactor the design into a MVC model but it
> will a bigger task.
> I found this development a good way to read kicad source code without
> going too deeply in the architecture.
>
> Tell me what you think about it, and maybe an easy development to
> continue to contribute to kicad.
>
> Thanks
> Damien PROFETA

Plot files from a command file is a *very* complex problem in some 
cases, mainly in complex hierarchies.
Currently, this is possible only for the root sheet.
When loading others sheets, the eeschema configuration and the project 
library cache cannot be loaded because sub hierarchy files do not store 
the root file name (i.e. the project name)
(the default config kicad.pro) file will be loaded
(so some libraries coud be not loaded and some component could be not found)
(This could be easily fixed by adding this info in all files)
Note : currently the schematic files store the list of libraries, but do 
not really use this info (but do not store specific libraries paths).

But the main problem is when using complex hierarchies: in this case, a 
given file is used more than once in shematic.
The component reference depends on the sheet is opened in schematic, and 
this file handles more than one reference by component.
The way to reach a given instance of the shared sheet can be seen like a 
path.

In this case we only load the full hierarchy and plot all sheets (they 
are more than files).
If loading the shared file, more than one plot must be created (as many 
plot as existing paths)

So to be able to plot schematic files from a command line could be an 
important work that also involves some (but minor) modifications in 
files formats.


--
Jean-Pierre CHARRAS
Maître de conférences
Directeur d'études 2ieme année.
Génie Electrique et Informatique Industrielle 2
Institut Universitaire de Technologie 1 de Grenoble
BP 67, 38402 St Martin d'Heres Cedex

Recherche :
Grenoble Image Parole Signal Automatique (GIPSA - INPG)
Grenoble France